Springs Fever
by melpomene-muse of tragedy
Summary: Food, flirting hopefully funny and all in good fun. And to all the Rhonda's out there, nothing personal, but every villian ,and not so villian, has to have a name... Contains SJ
1. Springs Break

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. But I have lots of nothing :)

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Jack was studying the label on a jar of salsa when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Jack O'Neill?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned around. "Hey Carter, long time no see."

"It has been a while" Sam agreed. "I thought you were living in Minnesota?"

"I am. I came down for the weekend to visit…someone." he said vaguely.

"That's nice" Sam said, trying to ascertain from the food in the cart whether she really thought it was 'nice' or not.

"How's the family?" Jack asked. Instantly wishing he'd phrased it differently.

"Fine. Mark just got promoted, his kids are growing like weeds."

"That's great. Tell them 'Hi' for me."

"Sure" Sam agreed. Even though 'The Family' didn't know him at all.

"How's Nick?" Jack asked casually.

"I don't know actually." Sam was unemotional. "We split up."

"That's too bad."

"If you say so"

"Ahh" Jack grimaced understandingly. "Like that was it?"

"Yeah" Sam changed the subject. "What about you? How've you been?"

"Oh you know, fishing, alone, alone fishing. Retirement you know. You lose touch."

"Well, we don't exactly all call each other every morning anymore" Sam said regretfully.

"No, we don't. I'm thinking about getting a phone though."

"Really?" Sam knew this would a huge compromise for Jack, having a phone at his cabin.

"Maybe. Something with a big 'off' switch"

Sam laughed.

"So have you heard from Daniel and T? I've been out of the loop for a while"

"Well I used to talk to Daniel a lot, while he was working in Chicago. Then he got this dig in North Africa and I've barely heard from him since. A couple of letters, one phone call, but I haven't seen him for almost a year."

Jack sensed she was hurt by this. "Well, that's Daniel for ya."

Sam nodded. "Teal'c sends word through the Tok'Ra whenever they stop by. Usually the same message, he's fine, his family's fine, the rebellion is struggling but persistent. Then he asks how we are and when the programs going to be reinstated."

"If" Jack said glumly. "If it's reinstated."

"You don't think they'll do it?" Sam was surprised hear Jack changing his tune. He'd always believed the Stargate would be reopened.

"Hey I gave it a month, it's been two years."

"So you've given up hope?" Sam was disappointed.

"I never had much faith in politicians. What faith I did have is rapidly decaying…" Jack trailed off. "But" he shrugged off the hopeless feeling he always got when he thought about the program. "Enough politics right? I'm retired. What have you been up to?"

"Lab work" Sam confessed. "Egghead stuff"

"Well you should be happy then"

"I am" Sam said firmly. "I, I am"

"Now that last part wasn't quite convincing." Jack observed.

"Yeah, I gotta work on that" Sam used one of Jack's old lines.

He grinned.

Sam smiled back "It's not like the old days Jack" She said fondly.

"No" He agreed "It's not. Speaking of which" He tried to break the mood of nostalgia. "How do you tell if something's 'Certified Organic'?" Jack tapped the salsa jar he was holding. "It says 'Organic' on the front but I don't see the 'Certified'"

"Let me see" Sam stood beside him and studied the label.

Jack took the opportunity to look at her while she wasn't watching him. She'd grown her hair out to her shoulders. It looked nice. A little different, he thought, but nice.

"See, right there" Sam pointed to the emblem. Hoping Jack was inexperienced enough at label reading to believe it would actually take her that long to find it.

"Thanks" Jack shifted his grip on the jar and his fingers brushed her hand. Sam looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, and for a moment they just stood there, hovering over a jar of salsa, in the Chip & Dip aisle.

Their peace was shattered as a group of young women came around the bend. One of them was talking, and Sam figured whatever story she was telling must be pretty juicy the way the other girls hung on her every word.

"Oh hell" Jack swore and turned his back to them. He edged a little behind Sam and

started studying the corn chips as if they held the secrets of the universe, or at least this weeks hockey scores.

"What's wrong?" Sam whispered. Wondering why on earth Jack seemed so disturbed by a bunch of college girls.

"Just act normal and try not to draw any attention." Jack requested.

Sam was dying of curiosity but did as he asked, looking over the ingredients list on a bag of Frito's while trying to shield as much of his body as she could from view. She listened to the girls talking and figured out two of the names that went with the voices. She also caught a bit of gossip about a girl named Linda and the Social Studies professor. Sam listened quietly as the girl's walked by and wondered how Jack could have possibly worried they'd notice _him_ when they were completely wrapped up in themselves.

"Jack!" The voice shouted much louder than necessary. Sam saw Jack cringe. But he turned around with a smile that -if she hadn't known him so well- would have looked completely genuine. "Hi girls, what are you doing here?"

"We always go shopping on Saturday" a blonde girl with glasses explained. "You weren't hiding from us were you?" she teased.

"Now why would I do that?" Jack asked with just enough sarcasm that only Sam noticed it.

Rhonda looked over Jack's groceries. "I don't _believe _this. She has you doing her _shopping_."

"You had Jason doing your shopping" A dark haired girl pointed out.

"That was _Jason_" Rhonda smiled up at Jack. "_He _didn't have anything better to do."

Sam's jaw went slack. This girl was totally flirting with the general.

The girl in glasses elbowed Rhonda in the ribs. Rhonda ignored her and looked at Sam. "Is _she _with you?" Rhonda addressed herself to Jack.

"Yeah, actually. Sam, this is Peggy, Amber, Connie, Ashley and…Rhoda"

"_Rhonda_" Rhonda corrected, sounding annoyed.

Sam fought back a smile at what she knew was an intentional 'mistake'. She had Jack had intentionally mispronounced the name as a subtle hint to back off. Unfortunately Sam doubted anything subtle would work on Rhonda.

"Girls, meet Sam" Jack completed the introduction.

Sam smiled at them. They were all pretty friendly to her, except Rhonda of course, who obviously hated her.

"We should go" Peggy, the dark haired girl, suggested.

"But we just got here" Rhonda apparently didn't want to unglue herself from Jack's presence. But Peggy seemed determined to keep her friend from making an even greater fool of herself.

"Rhon-_duh_" she whispered loudly. "It's time to _go_"

Amber, the girl with glasses, joined in. "C'mon Rhon. It was nice seeing you Jack, Sam." She started to walk off. The other girls following one at a time.

"See you later" Rhonda promised/threatened.

"I'll look forward to it" Jack replied insincerely. At which Rhonda beamed.

When they were gone Sam looked at Jack. "You're going to regret saying that."

"Oh I already do" Jack assured her. "You know what I can't believe, is that a kid could grow up in America today and have absolutely no concept of sarcasm."

"Well I don't think Rhonda's your biggest problem." Sam commented.

"Really, what _is _my biggest problem _Samantha_?" Jack raised his eyebrows as he emphasized the word.

Sam tried to ignore the teasing glint in his eye. "Amber"

"Amber? What about her?"

"Rhonda thinks you're _hot. _Amber, on the other hand, is completely overcome by your charm." Sam had to admit she thought it was kind of cute.

"Oh give me a break" Jack wasn't buying it.

"I'm serious" Sam talked while talked while Jack moved on the applesauce. "I think she at least has a very serious crush on you.

"I'm old enough to be her father." Jack commented, wondering how he was going to get the right kind of what looked like 200 different brands and varieties.

"So?"

"So Amber's not some airhead. She's too smart for that."

Sam shook her head. "No wonder she likes you"

"What?"

Jack took a six single serving pack of organic unsweetened apple sauce off the shelf.

"Respect" Sam explained. "Girl's like that."

"What?" Jack asked, looking the apple sauce over for leaks after dropping it on the floor. "I was distracted"

Sam smiled. "Never mind" she gave up. Jack finally put the apple sauce in the cart. "Are you busy tonight?" Sam asked suddenly and without even planning to.

Jack paused for a minute, his eyes wandering around the room as he thought about it. "No, not really"

"If you have plans…"

"No, nothing I can't get out of. What'd you have in mind?"

She hadn't really even considered it. "I don't know. Dinner, maybe?"

"That'd be nice. When?"

"When's good for you?"

"Anytime. I'm retired, so,"

"Well I don't usually work Saturday's"

Jack raised his eyebrows "That's a change."

"Yeah well, I used to spend a lot of time with someone who kept telling me to get a life."

"And you listened to him?" Jack said dissprovingly.

"Not as soon as I should have." Sam admitted.

Jack didn't say anything for moment as he absorbed that statement. "Let's eat early" he suggested.

"Okay, where?"

"I don't know, wherever you want."

"Okay what time?"

"Whatever works for you" Jack said amicably.

"Okay," Sam smiled. "Six o'clock?"

"Five o'clock?" Jack countered.

Sam checked her watch. "It's almost five now."

Jack looked at his cart. "I've got to drop off the groceries…five-thirty?"

"Sounds good. The park?"

"Park's good"

"Okay then"

"See you soon"

"Bye" Sam left Jack to finish his shopping, whoever he was shopping for –and she was resolved not to care- and headed home to change. Damn she'd missed that man.

Jack checked the shopping list. Certified Organic Medium Hot Salsa…check, Organic All Natural Un-sweetened Mixed Berry Apple sauce…check, next on the list, Yogurt. He wondered how many million flavors _that_ came in.


	2. Springs Time

A/N: I know this was a long time coming but I wasn't completely satisfied with it. But I suddenly realized I might never be completely satisfied with it and decided to just go ahead and post it. Otherwise I'll never get to chapter three. So please read, enjoy and let me know what you think :)

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Jack pulled his pickup into the parking lot beside Sam's Volvo and got out.

"You're early" Sam announced.

"So are you"

"Good point" Sam smiled.

They stood there for a moment while both of them waited for the other to speak first.

"Feel like walking?" Sam asked finally.

"Sure"

They walked around town for the next two hours talking. Stopping once or twice to sit and talk, then going back to walking again. When they got hungry they decided to try a diner neither of them had been in before. It was a cozy little place, popular with the collage student's for its descent food and low prices. They took a table in the corner and ordered the special.

Sam sipped her soda.

"What?" Jack asked at the look on her face.

"Mountain Dew" Sam said distastefully.

"They got it wrong?"

Sam nodded.

Jack stood up. "I'll take care of it"

"It's not a big deal" Sam objected.

"It'll just take a minute" Jack took her glass. "I'll be right back."

Sam watched as Jack walked over to the counter and started explaining the problem to the cashier. She exhaled. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed him. Especially the little things like just watching him talk. The way he gestured with his hands to illustrate his point, the way he could go from charming, to sarcastic, to serious in a fraction of a second...

"Sam!"

Sam heard her name and turned to see a tall, bronze skinned young woman wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots walking toward her.

"Hi Nikki"

"Long time no _see_" Nikki said pointedly.

"Yeah" Sam agreed.

"And not just for me, Cass says you've been making yourself scarce lately."

"I know" Sam admitted guiltily. "I don't stop by nearly as much as I want to. I've been working too much."

"_Dang_" Nikki said emphatically. "I was hoping you'd got a guy or something"

Sam's eyes inadvertently shifted to Jack's seat. It was only for a second but Nikki instantly picked up on it, saw the other glass, the men's leather jacket draped over the back of the chair and grinned. "_Have _you got a guy?"

Sam was still struggling for an answer when Jack returned and Sam decided to introduce them. "Nicole this is…"

"Jack!" Nikki was pleasantly surprised.

"Hey Nics" Jack greeted her warmly.

"This is unbelievable." Nikki grinned. "Cass talks about you guys all the time, but I didn't know you even knew each other."

"Oh we go _way _back" Jack informed her, handing Sam her Coke.

"That's great" Nikki was enjoying this more and more every minute. "Well, um, I got a guy waiting" she pointed her thumb toward a group of young people. "Jack, you're crashing at Cass's again tonight?"

Sam looked at Jack.

Jack squirmed. "I'll be there"

"Then I'll see ya 'round. And uh, leave you two alone. Have fun." Nikki smirked and left before either Jack or Sam had a chance to reply.

Sam raised her eyebrows at Jack. "You're staying with _Cassandra_? That's the big mystery?"

"Uh-huh" Jack confessed.

Sam was baffled, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because Cassie asked me not to tell anyone she knew I was here"

Sam was stunned. "Did she say why?"

"Because…she didn't tell people I was here."

"But she didn't even tell _me_"

"Well," Jack absently turned his glass around and around on the table "I asked her not to tell anyone I was coming"

Sam looked at him questioningly.

"I've been kind of out of touch." He said vaguely, stirring his ice with his straw. "Fact is, if Cassie hadn't written and asked me to visit I probably wouldn't have come back."

After talking to the man for two hour as if almost nothing had happened Sam started to realize exactly how far away from the world he'd been the last two years. "Well I'm glad you did."

Jack met her gaze. "Me too"


	3. Springs Night

It was dark by the time they reached the parking lot.

"Well" Jack said, when they reached their vehicles.

"I had a good time" Sam said smiling.

"Yeah" Jack smiled back at her crookedly.

"Um" Sam began hesitantly. "You've never seen my new place have you? After I got back from Area 51?"

"Noooo" Jack drew the word out as he stood with his hands in his pockets.

Sam jangled her keys in her hand in what would have been a pretty fair impression of Jack. "So, do you want to come over?" she asked him. Jack looked a little surprised at the offer. "For an hour…or…something" Sam added, not wanting him to think she was trying to 'pick him up' or anything.

"I should probably get back" Jack reluctantly declined. "Cassie's expecting me"

"Okay" Sam unlocked her car door and started to open it. "I'll see you around then?"

"About that" Jack started slowly.

Sam sighed, letting go of her door handle, and faced him. She hadn't heard that tone in two years, but she remembered it, and it usually meant she wasn't going to like what came next.

"You know that Cass is leaving tomorrow for spring break, so I'd planned on leaving tomorrow."

"Oh" Sam didn't hide her disappointment.

Jack rested a hand on the car and started drumming his finger on the roof. "What if I decided to stick around for a while?" Jack proposed. "I could hang out, see the sights, soak up the Colorado sunshine. It's been raining in Minnesota."

"It has?" Sam had watched the Weather Channel and the last three days had shown clear skies and sunshine in northern Minnesota. Not that she cared about the weather there…

"So I've heard" Jack shrugged. "And you know how fish are when it's raining…"

"Well, I worked long hours last week. If I leave early a couple days this week nobody'll care."

"The world won't end if you're not there?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll leave things in the hands of my very capable assistant."

"I thought you said he was incompetent?" Jack asked, remembering hoe she'd complained about him earlier.

"Well I don't care that he doesn't accomplish anything while I'm gone as long as he doesn't blow up my lab." Sam remarked.

"Small victories right?" Jack joked.

"Right" Sam smiled at him. "Small victories"

Jack cleared his throat "See you tomorrow?"

"I could stop by the apartment"

Jack hesitated. "I haven't said anything to Cass, about…"

"Me neither"

"I mean, there's no reason not to" except that for some reason he just didn't want her knowing about this.

"We could see her separately" Sam suggested, knowing Cassandra would probably find out about them sooner or later. But if she was leaving tomorrow that might give them some time before Nikki had a chance to spill the beans. Some time to figure out what they were doing before they had to explain it to someone else.

"We could meet back here after she's gone."

"Okay, sounds good"

"Good" Jack started drumming his fingers on the car again. Neither of them was eager to say goodnight. They'd spent the whole evening not knowing how much time they'd have together. Now they'd progressed from a few hours to 'a while'. However long that was.

Jack exhaled and looked up at the same time as if waking from a trance. "I'd better go"

Sam nodded.

"Night" Jack grinned at her as he as he moved toward his truck.

"Goodnight" Sam hesitated beside her car. Jack was about to get into his truck when Sam called his name. "Jack"

"Yeah?" he turned around.

"I was thinking, eventually, after you have to go back to Minnesota." She stopped.

"Yes?" Jack raised and eyebrow at Sam's sudden lack of nerve.

"It's just that, I have some leave coming."

"You mean to tell me you'd consider actually _leaving_?"

Sam swallowed. "Maybe"

"Well then" Jack said "I can't wait to see that"


	4. Chapter 4

Jack unlocked to apartment door with the key Cassie had given him and walked in. Erin was flopped on the couch watching sitcoms.

"Erin" Jack greeted Cassie's roommate.

"Hey Jack" Erin said absently.

"Where's Cass?"

"She's still changing from work. She had to stay late."

"How's it going?" Jack grabbed a beer from the girls' fridge and sat down on the chair across from the couch.

"I'm beat" Erin complained. "I don't think I slept last night"

"You were asleep when I woke up." Jack told her, popping the can open with a slow hiss.

"How do you know?" Erin challenged him.

"You snore"

"Do not!" Erin objected.

"Do too" Jack grinned

"Do _not_" Erin fought back a grin of her own.

"Okay, so maybe it's not _exactly _a snore, per se…"

Erin raised her eyebrows.

"It's more like a…breathing thing"

"I do not!" Erin said as loud as was possible through clenched teeth.

"Do too" Jack smirked.

"Déjà vu"

Jack and Erin both looked up at the same time and spoke in unison. "Hey Cassie"

Cassie just stood there and smiled at them for a moment before she swallowed, mumbles "Excuse me" and stuck her head in the fridge, looked around, and slammed the door much harder than was necessary before moving on to the cupboards. Jack raised his eyebrows at Erin.

"She's on the rag" Erin whispered, as if that explained everything.

Jack squinted at her. "You don't ever do that do you?"

"Slam doors, or get upset for no apparent reason?" Erin asked.

"Both."

"Not that I know of."

"Good" Jack commented. He didn't mind Cassandra going all 'girly' on him, but Erin had quickly become a buddy. Granted, having a twenty year old girl for a 'buddy' wasn't exactly normal for Jack. But he wasn't one to overanalyze things.

"Think I should?" Jack asked, tilting his head toward the kitchen.

"I wouldn't" Erin warned, her attention shifting back to the TV.

"I've handled crying women before" Jack told her.

"With what success?" Erin asked sarcastically.

"It's not like I can't hear every word your saying." Cassie broke in from the kitchen.

Jack winced.

"And you don't need to walk on pins and needles either. Sheez Erin with all the testosterone in this room you'd think I was living with _two_ guys."

Erin never took her eyes off the TV. "That, my dear roommate, is the result of all the adoring men who follow me around all day, kneeling at my feet and _begging_ me to go out with them."

Cassandra made a sound suspiciously like a snort. Jack felt like the whole situation had blown over rather nicely without his interference, but felt he'd better check on Cass anyway and made his way into the kitchen. "You okay?" he asked casually, checking the freezer for ice cream as cover since Cassie wasn't big on doing the cry/comfort thing these days.

"I'm fine." Cassie suddenly noticed how few things there were to pretend to be doing in a kitchen the size of a shoebox.

"Sure?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

She sighed. "Just a little nostalgia Jack, you know, you and Daniel used to do that thing…"

Jack nodded. "I remember."

"I haven't heard from him in over a year." She continued.

"Cass I've known him longer than anyone. And I haven't spoken to him in two years." Jack busied himself searching the silverware drawer for a clean spoon, finally giving up and raiding the 'plastic pile' the girls kept around for their increasingly frequent 'emergency's'

"I know that." Cassie told him. "I just, miss the way it used to be. When everyone was together…"

"Yeah" Jack said. Apparently there was a lot of that going around "Me too" and suddenly there was nothing left to say. "Ice cream?" Jack suggested lightly.

"Yes" Cassie agreed emphatically grabbing the strongest chocolate flavor she could find and making for the living room.

"Get me one too" Erin requested.

"Get your own." Cassie retorted, flopping on the couch next to her lazy roommate.

"What flavor?" Jack asked Erin, since he was still in the kitchen.

"Whatever" Erin said agreeably, just happy to have him waiting on her.

"Hey Erin did you hear the news?" Cassie asked from around a mouthful of fudge.

"What?" Erin tore herself away from the TV, as Cassie was grinning and obviously had something worth listening to.

"Rhonda's stalking Jack" Cass announced.

"_Rhonda_?" Erin shook her head.

Jack handed Erin a carton of ice cream over the back of the couch. "Then again…" Erin turned around and looked Jack over appraisingly while accepting the proffered pint. "You put someone that gorgeous in a pair of blue jeans and…"

Jack rapped her on the head with his knuckles.

"Ouch!" She touched her head and glared at him.

"Behave yourself" Jack warned, returning to his chair.

Erin rolled her eyes and Jack muttered something about 'kids these days' causing Erin to retaliate by throwing her plastic spoon at him.

"Well it's nice to see the maturity level around here hasn't changed." Cassie smiled.

Jack stuck out his tongue.


End file.
